Wallace on animal distribution and admiration of Darwin

Catalogue number: WP1/3/49

Letter from Wallace to entomologist friend Henry Walter Bates
expressing his admiration for Darwin's new book, discussing
evidence for the geographical distribution of animals and
exchanging specimens, dated December 1860.

Wallace writes to Bates, his good friend and fellow
entomologist, while on the island of Ternate in the Malay
Archipelago. He enthuses about Darwin's book On the Origin of
Species, published in 1859. 'I know not how or to whom to express
fully my admiration of Darwin's book. To him it would seem
flattery, to others self-praise.' Wallace had himself contributed
to the idea of natural selection but states that he 'could never
have approached the completeness of his [Darwin's] book - its
overwhelming argument and its admirable tone and spirit' if he,
Wallace, had attempted to write it. 'I really feel thankful that it
has not been left to me to give the theory to the public.' He says
Darwin 'has created a new science and a new philosophy...' Indeed
he had. The study of biology changed for ever.

Wallace's open praise of Darwin's work shows he was not bitter
and did not think that Darwin stole his ideas. Wallace was proud of
his contributions, but ultimately seems a little glad that Darwin
drew all the ideas together to present to the public.

Wallace shares his thoughts on patterns of animal distribution.
He was convinced that, compared to insects, birds and mammals gave
a good indication of 'zoological geography', since they have
greater chance of distribution, and are more affected by local
circumstances (i.e. vegetation and climate). This means each
species adapts to its environment. In contrast, insect populations
'very rapidly become amalgamated'. He found those 'from Malacca to
New Guinea' were very similar, while very different to Australian
forms, where climate and vegetation differed.

Wallace worked extensively on 'zoological geography'. He first
expressed his ideas in the groundbreaking paper On the Law which
has Regulated the Introduction of New Species, written in Sarawak
in 1855 (Annals and Magazine of Natural History, vol. 16).